Can we really taste love?

June 26th, 2007 Fred McVittie Posted in Abstract, Love, Sense |

Most of what we think about both consciously and unconsciously, and most of what we talk, write, draw, paint, and make movies about is human stuff, the products of human society and culture. We live in a materialist, secular society, with an appreciation of the down-to-earth, rational, nuts-and-bolts attitude that built the modern world, and yet our discourse is dominated not by the hard facts of trees and moons and sailing ships but by concepts like truth, justice, love, anger, our careers, the economy, the school system, taxation, inflation, rising (or falling) house prices etc etc etc. These are not hard facts, they have no resilience at all, not do they have texture, odour, colour, taste,or visible shape. Given that these and similar concepts have such a significant foothold in our mental lives it is worthwhile considering where these intangible ideas are located on the great globe of knowledge. When we look around from our privileged place at the centre of the universe, past the trees and moons and sailing ships, where do we find these ideas? Is the truth really out there? Is it within reach? Can we walk up to justice and run our hands over it? Can we taste love and can we really smell fear?